Stanley House Hotel & Spa

I recently stayed at this hotel and overall, the experience was amazing. The rooms were clean and beautifully maintained, the amenities were top-notch, and the atmosphere throughout the hotel was calm, relaxing, and ideal for both leisure and business travel. The staff at the front desk were polite and professional, and check-in was smooth and efficient. I genuinely felt comfortable and well taken care of during my stay. However, I feel it’s important to mention something I witnessed during breakfast that left me quite disappointed. Despite the hotel being quite busy, I noticed there was only one young woman running the entire breakfast service by herself. She was setting up the food, refilling stations, clearing tables, assisting guests, and doing everything in between — completely alone. As impressive as her work ethic was, it’s absolutely unacceptable for a 4-star hotel to put that level of pressure and responsibility on one person. Not only is it unfair to the staff member, but it also risks compromising the guest experience. No one should be expected to manage such a demanding shift alone, especially in a hotel of this standard. This incident didn’t ruin my stay, but it did stand out — and it should be addressed. A hotel that aspires to maintain a 4-star reputation needs to ensure their team is properly supported, especially during peak hours like breakfast. I truly hope management takes this feedback seriously and provides the staffing levels needed to match the quality and expectations of the rest of the hotel.

Room was absolutely beautiful - we stayed in the Manor House. Absolutely breathtaking. The grounds are wonderful and peaceful. Little things missed in the room: no spoons to use for tea/coffee, not enough milk given. Service did not reflect the type of establishment and environment you are trying to create. - rang for reception from the room, no answer / went to receptions and nobody was there - Our dinner order was wrong but was rectified. - Came for breakfast and the servers lacked confidence, did not greet customers properly - no ‘good morning, how are you etc’ - basic customer service. - The food / drinks were removed from breakfast at 9.50 although breakfast runs until 10am, found this quite unprofessional. Upon check out, we were waiting over 10 minutes for a a receptionist to arrive and accept our check out. We had to go into the restaurant twice to find out where the receptionist had gone - again, this service does not reflect the type of establishment you are classed as. Due to this, we would probably not return nor recommend even though the hotel rooms and grounds are absolutely stunning.

Honestly I was very disappointed. Yes, the rooms and spa were nice along with a lovely lady on the front desk and the spa staff were also very nice. However, service and the food in the brasserie was just appalling. I ordered a fish and chips and while the fish was somewhat edible the chips were stale, reheated and raw on the inside??? I wanted to make a complaint about this but no staff even came to check on our table once throughout the meal. Not to mention it took 10 minutes for us to be seated and a further 15 minutes for someone to even take a simple drinks order which we had to actually call someone over to do. There seemed to be plenty of staff and the restaurant was quiet so there isn’t even an excuse for it there. It’s very clear the dining area is either in need of new staff or need to provide way better training as there are no excuses for this sort of poor service, especially at the price. Dinner was included in our stay and the value for money was horrific considering drinks was not even included in the £40pp, which we were not told after until after the meal. Being told this upon entry to the meal or upon ordering would have made for less confusion in the matter. Also I was charged for the breakfast we had in the morning which I had paid for in my package. I wish the dining was a better experience as it really let our whole stay down.